Toronto Maple Leafs' center Tyler Bozak is eligible to be activated from the team's Long-term injured reserved list on Sunday, and according to Assistant General manager Claude Loiselle, the team is planning on doing just that.
Loiselle minced no words when telling the Toronto Sun just what his return means to the struggling 'Leafs.
"Bozak is our best faceoff guy, and when you don't win draws either on the power play or on the penalty kill, you end up spending a lot of time chasing the puck instead of controlling it." Loiselle explained, "When he comes back, it simply allows other guys to drop down and play in positions they might be more comfortable with. He will be a welcome addition when he returns."
High praise for the 27-year-old centerman, and though the Sun cautioned fans not to view Bozak's return as "franchise-saviour-coming-back-to-save-the-day" type of circumstance, it certainly isn't an insignificant happenstance.
Since losing Bozak to an oblique strain in a December 3rd loss to the San Jose Sharks, the Leafs have managed a mediocre 4-5-2 record despite playing seven of the eleven games that he has missed - and have won just once in their past five.
Limited to just 16 games on the season, Bozak has 11 points and four goals, sporting a plus-five rating and seeing over 21 minutes of ice time per game and should return to his regular spot between Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk.
http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2013/12/maple-leafs-tyler-bozak-could-return.html
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